Ludhiana: Will vacate school rooms by Nov 11: Home guards

High drama unfolded after the students occupied two of the three rooms of a government school in Jagraon being used by the home guard volunteer force since 2018.

The home guard volunteers then submitted an undertaking to the tehsildar, seeking time till November 11 to vacate the rooms at Government Primary Smart School, Basic.

During a visit to the school, tehsildar Surinder Singh and education officials asked the students to sit in the rooms being used by the home guards. However, the latter expressed opposition to the move, claiming that the rooms were being used as their offices and ‘sensitive’ documents were stored there.

Singh was accompanied by block primary education officer and centre head teachers.

Tehsildar Singh said, “They have given an official undertaking to vacate by Monday (November 11), after their meeting with the deputy commissioner.”

School teacher Karamjeet Kaur said, “With just six rooms, we are forced to hold double classes in single rooms, which disrupts the learning environment.”

In an order on September 20, the deputy commissioner (DC) had asked the home guards to vacate the three rooms within 15 days. However, the force is yet to comply. Home guards officials had cited the lack of an alternative site for their offices as the reason behind not vacating the rooms.

The school has a strength of 375 and the students are managing with the remaining six rooms. School teachers claimed that they often have to hold two classes in the same room due to the space crunch.

On November 4, local senior citizens and veteran educators backing the school urged the sub-divisional magistrate concerned to address the issue within a week. They said if the rooms were not vacated by then, they would start an agitation along with the teachers and locals.

District education officer (DEO Elementary) Ravinder Kaur said the department had filed additional complaints with the DC after deadline for compliance with the order had passed.

Joginder Azad, who has been part of the efforts to get the rooms vacated, described the situation during the tehsildar’s visit.

“The home guards showed resistance and started arguing when students were seated in the rooms. A heated discussion ensued before an agreement,” he said.